La Liga Weekend Matches: Sporting revenge for Mourinho

Spanish Football / Tobias Gourlay / 13 April 2012 / Leave a Comment

Sporting Gijon probably won't win at the Bernabeu again this season

"Pep Guardiola’s men are in cruise control at the moment, getting ahead before half-time and staying there until full-time in each of their last ten league games"

Real Madrid play one of the campaign's easier-looking fixtures and Tobias Gourlay expects them to make no mistake at home to Sporting Gijon - not like last season

Real Madrid v Sporting Gijon
Saturday 19:00
Real [1.07] Sporting [55.0] draw [18.0]

Real Madrid are on a run of difficult fixtures at the moment: Valencia, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao... This match is the exception.

Sporting finally showed the gumption their coach is renowned for on Wednesday night, coming from behind twice to beat Levante with a late Gaston Sangoy goal. Javier Clemente's team are still neck deep in the mire, however, because Villarreal also won in midweek and Sporting remain seven points short of safety.

And it is not clear that gumption is enough to beat Real Madrid, even when the boys from the Bernabeu are shorn of their key playmaker. Xabi Alonso's loss of form goes some way to explain why Real have failed to beat Malaga, Villarreal and Valencia in recent weeks and this one-match suspension might help him. This is a good game to miss too - Sporting have earned only two points from 27 on their most recent away trips.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the city derby with Atletico on Wednesday. He's matched last season's record (40 league goals) and will pass it at some point very soon. But he's also just one card away from a suspension that would rule him out of el clasico next Saturday night. Real might actually be better off without him for that match (he doesn't usually work hard enough off the ball to contain Barcelona) but Jose Mourinho won't see it that way and is likely to protect his top-scorer once - if - this game is won.

Perhaps this will save Sporting from thrashing, but perhaps it won't. The northerners have conceded more goals than anyone in the last 15 minutes of league games this season (18) and that is exactly the time that Real are most lethal, preying on tired opponents.

It is a concern that Mourinho will be keen to preserve other players too for stiffer challenges ahead, but he will also remember that Sporting won this fixture last season and ended his staggeringly long run of home league games without defeat. They must be made to pay for the impertinence.

This column's backed Real to score at least four goals a few times this season. What Real have often done is score exactly four goals (six times in 16 home games). The defence is in decent shape at the moment, conceding only twice in the last five at the Bernabeu, and 4-0 deserves a punt at [7.6].

Recommended Bet: Back 4-0 @ [7.6] in Correct Score 2 Home

Levante v Barcelona
Saturday 21:00
Levante [17.0] Barcelona [1.22] draw [7.8]

The Handicap Win market is one way to work out which teams in a given league have most outperformed pre-season expectations. In the Primera Division, Levante are heavily odds-on to win this market. Before a ball was kicked they were given a 50-point headstart on Barcelona; that they are currently only 30 points behind this weekend's opponents suggests Juan Ignacio Martinez should be a frontrunner in the coach of the year competition.

The Frogs have not beaten Barcelona in a top-flight game for more than half a century, but they did hold the Catalan giants to a 1-1 draw at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium last season.

Can they derail a Barca team whose coach says they have already crashed and burned out of this season's title race? Probably not.

Pep Guardiola's men are in cruise control at the moment, getting ahead before half-time and staying there until full-time in each of their last ten league games. [1.66] is a generous price for them to make it 11 in a row on Saturday night.

We've mentioned Ronaldo up above, and it's traditional to then mention Messi too. So, Barca's star man has scored 39 league goals of his own this season, finding the back of the net in each of his last nine Liga appearances. Not even he knows where this particular run will end, but you can be sure he'll be odds-on to make it ten in a row this weekend.

If, for some reason, you fancy an upset, then Arouna Kone is your man. On loan from Sevilla, the Ivorian forward has netted in each of his last three outings for Levante.

Recommended Bet: Back Barcelona/Barcelona @ [1.66]

*Follow Tobias on Twitter: @tobiasgourlay

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La Liga Weekend Matches: Los Leones to submit quickly at Camp Nou

Spanish Football / Tobias Gourlay / 30 March 2012 / Leave a Comment

Bully boys: Osasuna's combative style could make trouble for Real Madrid

"Mendilibar’s been beaten only three times in 23 at the Reyno de Navarra, and only once was the margin of defeat more than an odd goal"

Osasuna will have their claws out for Real Madrid, says Tobias Gourlay, but the Lions of Athletic Bilbao will not roar in Barcelona

Osasuna v Real Madrid
Saturday 19:00 (Live on Sky Sports 4)
Osasuna [8.6] Real [1.45] draw [5.0]

After running with the bulls, visiting the Reyno de Navarra is about the next toughest thing you can do in Pamplona. Even the Big Two don't often have it easy: Barca lost 3-2 there last month and Opta reports that Real have scored just once in failing to win any of their last three games away to Osasuna (W0-D1-L2).

Osasuna are having an unusually good season too. Jose Luis Mendilibar's men are unbeaten in six at the moment and nose-bleedingly close to the Champions League places.

Mesut Ozil returns from suspension this weekend, but Real's recent record also suggests it will be a close game. Although Jose Mourinho's men have taken 13 points from 15 on the road, they have won none of those games by more than a single goal.

Mendilibar's been beaten only three times in 23 at the Reyno de Navarra, and only once was the margin of defeat more than an odd goal. What's more, the Big Two between them have only won one of their last ten matches there by a couple of goals or more. The Asian Handicap's the place to go.

Recommended Bet: Back Osasuna +1.5 on the Asian Handicap @ [1.80]

Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao
Saturday 21:00 (Live on Sky Sports 4)
Barcelona [1.13] Athletic [26.0] draw [11.0]

Barcelona have won this fixture in each of the last seven seasons and the teams' 2-2 draw in a sodden Bilbao last November stands alone as a reason to suppose they won't emerge victorious once again on Saturday.

Traditionally unable to compete with Barca and Real Madrid for an entire season, Athletic tend to commit their more limited resources to cup competitions. The Basques have an excellent Copa del Rey record - they've won it more times than Real and are in the final again this season - and it seems that a rare dedication to the Europa League is damaging their league performances.

Athletic have impressed the rest of Europe with their performances around the continent - most recently they beat Schalke 4-2 in Germany on Thursday - but Marcelo Bielsa's game-plan demands huge commitments of energy from his players and since beating Manchester United at Old Trafford early this month los Leones have taken one point from 12 in La Liga.

Barca's nine-game winning streak came to an end in Milan on Wednesday, but the performance was good and, with Real's lead at the top down to six points, the motivation to win this match is strong.

Athletic are safe from relegation, have already qualified for Europe next season via the cup and have hardly stepped off the return flight from Germany. Pep Guardiola might rest a couple of players, but Messi should start, all will be keen to put this game to bed early ahead of next week's return match with AC Milan and Barcelona/Barcelona has paid out in nine of their last ten.

A word about the main man: in all competitions, he's scored in 15/18 at the Camp Nou this season, and on each of his last ten appearances. He's scored at least twice in 11 of those games, including five of the most recent six. And he's fired hat-tricks - or better - in 6/18, including each of the last three.

These numbers are without precedent in the history of exchange betting and some of the layers seem to have trouble adjusting to the heightened reality of the little man. Prices around [1.5] To Score, [2.3] To Score 2 Goals or More and [8.0] To Score a Hat-trick are possible and all would be generous.

Recommended Bet: Back Barcelona/Barcelona @ [1.50]

Malaga v Real Betis
Saturday 21:00 (Live on Sky Sports Xtra)
Malaga [1.7] Betis [5.6] draw [4.0]

Space for just a few words about Saturday's other televised game, but no matter, because the stats say it all: Malaga have won five in a row at La Rosaleda; Real Betis have lost 10/12 on the road.

Recommended Bet: Back Malaga @ [1.7]

*Follow Tobias on Twitter: @tobiasgourlay

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La Liga Weekend Matches: Real could be held up briefly by Levante

Spanish Football / Tobias Gourlay / 10 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Levante in the cup last season

"Lionel Messi has scored in only 3/15 La Liga away games since March last year"

As next week's Champions League games draw the attention of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Tobias Gourlay looks at whether they will have it all their own way against some tricky opponents

Osasuna v Barcelona
Saturday 19:00
Osasuna [10.0] Barcelona [1.38] draw [5.1]

Coming into the new year, Osasuna were on a seven-month unbeaten streak at home (W8-D3-L0). In 2012, however, they have taken one point from nine at the Reyno de Navarro.

Earlier this season, Jose Luis Mendilibar asked his team to keep a preposterously high defensive line and notched a couple of shocking results away to the Big Two, losing by a combined score of 15-1. Presumably he will be more sensible in Pamplona this weekend.

Leo Messi scored a delightful hat-trick in Malaga three weeks ago, just after this column had gone into detail about his poor strike rate on the road. Since then, Villarreal have kept him - and indeed all of his team-mates - off the scoresheet at El Madrigal, which means the Argentine has now scored in 3/15 La Liga away games since March last year.

Pep Guardiola's tinkering has made Barca a more difficult team to bet on than Real Madrid this season. In his quest for continuous improvement, he has played three at the back just when this column wanted him to keep a clean sheet and dropped Xavi when it wanted his team to score at least four.

This weekend, there is something else to think about - Tuesday's Champions League game in Germany. It's not clear yet whether Pep will risk yet more dropped points away from home in the league to focus on Europe, but the simple facts of Barca's poor away record (W4-D5-L1) and Messi's bad scoring form suggest that the team should be laid to win and the star man not backed to score.

Recommended Bet: Lay Barcelona @ [1.38]

Real Betis v Athletic Bilbao
Saturday 21:00
Betis [2.74] Athletic [2.9] draw [3.4]

A reminder about Fernando Llorente's good form, which we mentioned here last week. Athletic's star striker didn't strike first last week, but he did strike once, so the Lion King has now scored in six of his last seven starts.

There's something else about this game too: Betis have been level at half-time in five of their last seven at the Benito Villamarin, while Athletic have been all-square after 45 minutes of all of their most recent seven away games.

It's a difficult pattern to explain - only three of Athletic's seven half-time draws have been goalless - but the numbers say there's value in the half-time draw at [2.1].

Recommended Bet: Back Fernando Llorente To Score @ [2.5]

Real Madrid v Levante
Sunday 20:30
Real [1.1] Levante [41.0] draw [10.5]

Ignore their defeat to Barcelona in December and Real Madrid are on a winning streak of 16 in the league. At the Bernabeu, Jose Mourinho is W25-D0-L2 against teams that aren't Barca.

In the first half of the current campaign, Levante exceeded the world's pre-season expectations by more than any other team in La Liga. After nine games, they were W7-D2-L0 and second in the table. They made it through the early stages of the cup too, but it seems that playing two games every other week or so has taken a toll on Juan Ignacio Martinez's small squad.

The Frogs are still fourth, but they are ready to croak. Their elevated position reflects the inconsistencies of some bigger clubs, who really ought to be pushing Valencia harder for third. Their record in the most recent 12 rounds of La Liga is W2-D3-L7. Away from home, they've lost five in a row. That run includes heavy defeats to Barcelona (0-5) and Athletic Bilbao (0-3).

Backing Any Unquoted in the Correct Score market has been the right thing to do in 7/9 league games at the Bernabeu involving teams that weren't Barcelona. There's a small concern that Mourinho might want to rest players in the second half - Real must travel to Moscow for a Champions League game on Wednesday - but, as the competition for first-team places hots up, at least Higuain, Benzema and Ozil will be playing as hard as ever.

That Champions League game is a good reason to make sure of the points early, but it's interesting that Real have been level at half-time in five of the nine homes they've gone on to win this season and three of the last four. Draw/Real Madrid is [6.2] in the Half Time/Full Time market and worth a punt.

Recommended Bet: Back Any Unquoted Correct Score @ [2.3]

*Follow Tobias on Twitter: @tobiasgourlay

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La Liga Weekend Matches: Real Madrid know the power of four

Spanish Football / Tobias Gourlay / 27 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Iker Casillas faces a seriously out-of-form Real Zaragoza attack this weekend

"Real Madrid have scored at least four times in 7/8 home games with teams that aren't Barcelona"

As Manolo Jimenez drags a sorry-looking Real Zaragoza to the Bernabeu for a beating, Tobias Gourlay ponders the decline of Villarreal and how to make money out of it

Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza
Saturday 19:00 (Live on Sky Sports 4)
Real [1.09] Zaragoza [42.0] draw [14.5]

Another easy league win follows another failure to beat Barcelona?

Yep. Real are unopposable at home - unless they're playing Pep's team.

For variety's sake this column will run you through a slightly different set of stats from last week's. The inspiration is still Opta's.

Real have won their last 14 league games against teams that don't play in blaugrana and their all-time home league record at home to Zaragoza is W47-D6-L4.

Bottom-of-the-table Zaragoza have the joint-worst away record in this season's competition (W0-D3-L7) and are 12 matches without a win anywhere. Three more games with no joy and they'll have matched their all-time worst streak.

One faint, faint glimmer of hope for the visitors: Barcelona aside, they are the last team to win at the Bernabeu (3-2 in April last year). But Real had given up the chase by then. This time they're leading the race.

Well, at least it's a good chance for Iker Casillas to keep a rare clean sheet. Real have conceded in 8/9 at the Bernabeu so far this season, but Zaragoza have scored just twice in their last eight league games. Unfortunately, the market does not recognise the rarity of a Real clean sheet and is offering only [1.61] on Casillas going unbeaten.

If only Zaragoza were a bit more prolific - they've scored once in the three games since Manolo Jimenez replaced Javier Aguirre - they could perhaps have kept up with Real until half-time - like 4/8 non-Catalan visitors to the Bernabeu - before capitulating in the second half. Draw/Real Madrid is on offer at [6.6], but it's a double-result that usually requires the away team to score before half-time in order to finish the first-half 1-1.

A week ago, this column made a bit of money backing Any Unquoted in the Correct Score market. The price has plummeted for the visit of Zaragoza, however. We were paid out at [3.0] last Sunday; this time you would only be rewarded at evens. But because it's been a winner in 7/8 league games against teams that aren't Barcelona, it's still a value bet.

Recommended Bet: Back Any Unquoted Correct Score @ [2.02]

Villarreal v Barcelona
Saturday 21:00 (Live on Sky Sports 4)
Villarreal [13.0] Barcelona [1.29] draw [6.4]

In the summer, this fixture looked like it would be among the trickiest that Barcelona would face all season. The champions' all-time record at El Madrigal is only W6-D1-L5, even if Pep Guardiola has won 3/3 here. And Villarreal finished fourth last year.

But the Yellow Submarine from the Valencia suburbs sold a couple of Spain internationals before the season began - Santi Cazorla and Joan Capdevila - and lost Italian star striker Giuseppe Rossi to a season-ending injury in October. There is still talent in the ranks - Nilmar and Borja Valero have more than their fair share of it - but Villarreal sank to 17th at Christmas.

Unlike many Spanish clubs, it takes a lot for them to sack a manager, but that was enough. Juan Carlos Garrido, a long-serving club man, was fired and replaced by someone else who had worked his way up coaching the reserve teams, Jose Molina. The former goalie will be expected to uphold the tradition of sharp, accurate passing football established by Manuel Pellegrini.

This weekend he comes up against the masters of that style. Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez were injured in the Copa del Rey clash with Real Madrid, and some of the others might have been tired by it - it was the tenth clasico since the start of last season, after all - but Pep's team are strong favourites to record a second consecutive away win for only the second time this season.

Those injuries are important because they improve Cesc Fabregas' chances of starting the game. If he does start, his record of scoring in five of the six away games he's played this season make him a value bet in the goalscorer markets market. And, although Barca have struggled on the road this season, scoring first has not been a problem. Like Real, who have a much better record, they have hit the net before their opponents in 14 of their last 20 away matches. Fabregas should become available around [7.0] in the First Goalscorer market.

Recommended Bet: Back Cesc Fabregas to be First Goalscorer @ [7.0]

*Follow Tobias on Twitter: @tobiasgourlay

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La Liga Weekend Matches: Fireworks at San Mames

Spanish Football / Tobias Gourlay / 04 November 2011 / Leave a Comment

Athletic Bilbao will charge at Barcelona on Sunday evening

"Gonzalo Higuain has started five games for Real Madrid this season and scored in each of them"

Barca go to Bielsa and Tobias Gourlay's excited. Gonzalo Higuain's got him a bit hot under the collar as well, but he's cooler on Mallorca and Sevilla

Real Mallorca v Sevilla
Saturday 17:00
Mallorca [3.05] Sevilla [2.56] draw [3.4]

Thank goodness Spanish football fans don't usually bother going to away matches.

Sevilla have drawn their last three road games 0-0 and that's not the only reason to believe a fourth bore draw is on the cards this weekend: Alvaro Negredo is definitely out this weekend and possibly Freddie Kanoute too.

If Sevilla don't concede penalties - four of Mallorca's eight league goals this season have come that way - and Mallorca don't score at the wrong end - they're the only team to have already done that more than once this season - it will be a long, slow start to the weekend.

Recommended Bet: Back 0-0 Correct Score @ [10.5]

Real Madrid v Osasuna
Sunday 11:00 (Live on Sky Sports 1)
Real [1.1] Osasuna [38.0] draw [13.0]

Gonzalo Higuain has started five games for Real Madrid this season and scored in each of them. Karim Benzema was in the team against Lyon in midweek, so it's the Argentinean's turn on Sunday. Higuain is odds-on to score again on Sunday morning (note the pioneering kick-off time) but what about taking him to score the first goal? He's struck first in each of the last four games he's started, which makes [4.0] a very reasonable price - the more so because the market favourite Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in only four of his last 11 starts.

Should you oppose Ronaldo to score anytime? Maybe, but Osasuna have injury and suspension problems in defensive positions and have already conceded 14 times in five away games so far this season.

Over 4.5 Goals could be a better bet - it's [3.2], despite paying out in 11/23 Bernabeu games since Mourinho arrived, but hold off until kick-off because coach Mendilibar might be planning to park the bus.

Recommended Bet: Back Gonzalo Higuain @ [4.0] to be First Goalscorer

Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona
Sunday 19:00 (Live on Sky Sports 1)
Athletic [13.0] Barcelona [1.29] draw [6.4]

A game for the continental connoisseur: Pep Guardiola and his dream team against Marcelo Bielsa, the nightmare coach with the otherworldly tactics.

Bielsa infuriates many players with unusual, often draconian methods on the training ground, but Athletic's squad seems to have accepted him. His 'vertical football' (imagine an energetic, crisp passing game cleaved to the directness of the Crazy Gang) has launched them on to an eight-game unbeaten run. If Javi Martinez is fit to start the passing moves and the first-choice centre-backs are available, this could be quite a match.

Since winning the first ten away games of last season, Pep's team are W6-D6-L1 on the road. You might want to discount the final few games of last season, when the title was as good as won, in which case they are still drawing as often as they are winning (W5-D5-L0).

Recommended Bet: Back the draw @ [6.4]

Granada v Racing Santander
Sunday 15:00
Granada [2.18] Racing [3.8] draw [3.35]

Opta tells us that Granada and Racing Santander are the lowest-scoring sides in La Liga this season, with 11 goals in 20 games between them.

Granada have failed to score in their last two at Los Carmenes, while Racing have stayed goalless on 3/5 away trips so far.

Both teams won last week. Even so, they have only three wins between them. What better way to consolidate those recent three-point results with another point this weekend?

Racing lost most of their executive board this week, but that shouldn't affect Hector Cuper. He's missing some regular attackers - Kennedy, Lautaro Acosta - and there's no reason to suppose defence will not once again be his priority.

Recommended Bet: Back 0-0 Correct Score @ [9.8]

*Follow Tobias on Twitter: @tobiasgourlay

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The 7 best matches between Liverpool and Manchester United

Premier League / Dan Fitch / 12 October 2011 / Leave a Comment

Liverpool and Manchester United show their mutual respect for one another.

Dan Fitch takes a look at the some of the greatest matches between English football's most successful two clubs, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Liverpool face Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday, in what will be a major test of the home side's resurgence under Kenny Dalglish and United's unbeaten record this season.

It's a fixture with a rich history and if the game at the weekend is anything near as good as the following encounters, then we will have a real classic on our hands. Here are the seven greatest Liverpool v Manchester United matches.

Long before Manchester United won the treble themselves, they prevented Liverpool achieving the honour by beating them in the 1977 FA Cup Final.

The match was decided within a frenetic five-minute period. First, Stuart Pearson gave United the lead in the 50th minute with a drilled shot past Ray Clemence, only for Liverpool to equalise two minutes later from a half-volley from Jimmy Case.

In the 55th minute United got the final goal in fortuitous circumstances, as a Lou Macari shot deflected off the chest of Jimmy Greenhoff and found it's way into the Liverpool net. Having prevented Liverpool from winning the historic treble, Manchester United would become the first club to do so, some 22 years later in 1999.

Six years after losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup Final, Liverpool got some revenge as they won a League Cup Final between the rivals at Wembley.

Norman Whiteside had given United the lead in the 12th minute and they remained 1-0 up until 15 minutes to go, when Ray Kennedy made it all square. The game went into extra time and was ultimately decided by a sumptuous curling shot from Ronnie Whelan. In an emotional end to the afternoon, Bob Paisley walked up the famous Wembley steps to collect the trophy in what was to prove to be his last final as the Liverpool manager.

When you look back at Manchester United's treble-winning season of 1999, the defining memory is of the two late goals that saw them defeat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League, but it was only thanks to another pair of late strikes that United progressed past the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Michael Owen gave Liverpool an early lead that they managed to hold onto until two minutes from time when Dwight Yorke scored a late leveller. Heartbreak was to follow for the travelling Liverpool fans, when United's 'super-sub' Ole Gunnar Solskjaer grabbed a winning goal in the 90th minute, that was almost as important as his one in Barcelona later on in the season.

Liverpool went close to pipping Manchester United to the Premier League title in 2009 and the highlight of their campaign was a 4-1 win at Old Trafford in March, that revived their title hopes.

The game looked to be going United's way when a Cristaino Ronaldo penalty gave them the lead, but Fernando Torres equalised shortly afterwards and a Steven Gerrard penalty gave Liverpool at half-time 2-1 lead.

Nemanja Vidic had a torrid afternoon chasing Torres around and things got worse for him in the second-half, when he was sent off for fouling Gerrard and then saw Fabio Aurelio curl in the resulting free-kick from long-range. Andrea Dossena made it a crushing 4-1 defeat in injury time, to really rub salt in United's wounds.

Pretty much everything that has ever occurred in the life of Eric Cantona has been dramatic, so it's no surprise that when he made his return to the Manchester United team after an eight-month ban for attacking a fan, it came in a home match against Liverpool.

Cantona was soon in the thick of the action, as his cross found Nicky Butt in the opening seconds and the midfielder gave United the lead. The Frenchman wasn't the only player nicknamed 'God' by his own fans though and Robbie Fowler showed why he was held in such high-esteem at Liverpool with two brilliant goals either side of half-time to put Liverpool 2-1 up.

Of course, it was Cantona who had the last word. His pass put Ryan Giggs through on goal and when he was brought down in the box for a penalty, it was Cantona who cooly put the chance away and sent Old Trafford into delirium.

Early in Alex Ferguson's reign as Manchester United manager, his team travelled to Anfield needing a win if they were to have any chance of finishing above a brilliant Liverpool side that looked destined to win the league.

The omens looked good for the visitors when Bryan Robson gave United an early lead, but strikes from Peter Beardsley and Gary Gilliespie made it 2-1 to Liverpool at half-time, before a Steve McMahon thunderbolt in the second half made it a seemingly unassailable 3-1.

However, the introduction of Norman Whiteside gave some bite to Manchester United's midfield and a spell of pressure saw a deflected shot from Robson make it 3-2. The comeback was completed when Gordon Strachan was put through on goal and calmly slotted it past Bruce Grobbelaar.

If ever you needed proof that the form book goes out of the window in games between Liverpool and Manchester United, this mid-nineties thriller at Anfield serves as historical evidence.

Just as Manchester United were beginning to dominate English football, Liverpool were floundering as they tried to recapture past glories. United lived up to their billing as pre-match favourites when they took a 3-0 lead within 24 minutes, with goals from Steve Bruce, Ryan Giggs and Dennis Irwin. It looked like an evening of true misery was ahead for the home supporters.

Nigel Clough was one of many Liverpool signings during that era who struggled to adapt to life at the club, but he will live in the fans' memories for his contribution in this game. Clough gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope with a goal from 25 yards out, before putting them right back in it with a near identical effort. Neil Ruddock completed the unlikely comeback with a headed goal 12 minutes from time.

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